DESPITE Ministry of Education's ban on corporal punishment in schools and its promotion of the use of advice and guidance in creating an educational atmosphere of respect and familiarity, some teachers of both sexes continue to use physical violence to tackle pupil behavior. Experts say that violence only breeds more violence, and that it can lead to psychological damage, and even open the way to rape. A survey of 50 mothers conducted by Roaa magazine revealed that 61 percent said their daughters had suffered physical beatings at the hands of their teachers, as well as verbal abuse. They also revealed that they supported the ministry's move to outlaw corporal punishment. Fourteen percent of mothers, however, admitted to using corporal punishments and abusive language with their sons and daughters and said they were against the prohibition, believing corporal punishment to be a viable means of addressing undesirable behavior. Aziza Hussein, who has a daughter in primary school, does not support the ban and believes that the strict educational methods of the past produced respect for the teacher. “The more the pupil fears punishment,” Aziza says, “the more the pupil concentrates on education and abides by school rules.” Aziza continues, however, by saying that the use of force should not be so much that it “terrorizes” the pupil. “This happened with my daughter,” she says, “when the teacher some time ago hit her around the head and grabbed her by the ear and shouted at her. After that my daughter got really scared of the teacher, as if she were some kind of monster, and in the end we had to move her to another school. Even now she hasn't forgotten that teacher. That's why I believe that methods should be more advanced than this form of backward punishment.” More vigilance of teachers Jawahir Yousuf is the mother of four children. “Unfortunately many teachers continue to abuse and humiliate their pupils, which only makes them more headstrong in the end and breeds hate for the subject they are learning and the school in general. My children are often complaining of the way they are treated by their teachers and are sometimes scared of going to school because of the punishments their teachers give them. We really need there to be strict vigilance of schools if we are to do away with violence against pupils.” “The ministry's policy is correct, but unfortunately there are some teachers who don't pay heed to it,” says Badriya Al-Ghamdi, whose daughter is in primary school. Some of them use physical punishments for even the most trivial of misbehavior, as if it's some sort of passionate hobby of theirs. One day I was at a school mothers' meeting and noticed that a lot of the mothers present were unhappy with the way teachers were treating their children, by hitting them or using abusive language not fit for an educator. But worse was that the teachers couldn't have cared less about the complaints, so convinced were they that they were in the right and were using the right methods by addressing misbehavior in such a reactionary fashion.” Noura Ali, an intermediate school Arabic language teacher, believes teachers should see it as their duty to follow the rules, laws and principles of education, but that circumstances call for different approaches. “The way a teacher handles students varies from pupil to pupil,” Noura says. “There are some whose behavior requires the teacher to be strict in order to maintain class discipline and let everyone in the class benefit from the period. With one girl in class I tried repeatedly to get her to behave by talking to her but she just didn't care, and in the end I lost patience and resorted to hitting her lightly, but after that she began to respect my presence and behave a lot better.” A question of experience Fouzia Al-Dhawayan, a student counselor, has many years of experience in dealing with students of all dispositions, and says there are better ways. “Most teachers don't have the experience I have,” Fouzia says, “so I have to try and give them advice and guidance in how to deal with their pupils, and that would include advising them not to use offensive and intimidating punishments that turn the teacher into an object of fear and develop hatred in the pupil for her school. The ministry ruling was welcomed, as it serves our country and religion.We as teachers should be role models to pupils.” Sabah Hakim is the principal of a primary school in Jeddah. “My role here is to guide teachers in the correct methods of dealing with unruly pupils, which involves finding alternatives to violence and hitting, such as taking away privileges or recreational facilities, or giving them, for example, monetary prizes awarded for discipline and behavior.” Family and society Muna Abu Soleiman, a well-known Saudi media personality, says that arousing interest in education and respectful behavior are learnt primarily from the family. “The family and the school need to work together to improve education without the use of violence,” she says. Madhawi Al-Suweilim of the education ministry in Riyadh says an educator should be aware of students' particular circumstances that may cause their behavior to be good or otherwise. “The pupil may be suffering from problems at home or other pressures that affect his or her capacity to learn. A student may be timid, or unsociable or hostile, and so the teacher needs to know the best way to deal with the nature of each one without resorting to the use of force and fear. There are pupils who have been exposed to these sort of methods which have fostered in them enmity and truancy and led them along undesirable paths which have greatly affected not only their futures but also the future of the whole of society. I think the use of force in schools destroys society,” Al-Suleiman says. Extreme cases Psychologist Manal Al-Shadhali says the ministry ruling will be a great help to pupils in their education. “I see a lot of youngsters in my work who have behavioral problems and a great many cases can be explained by the treatment they have received from their families and schoolteachers,” Al-Shadhali says. “In extreme cases, such maltreatment can lead to suicide, criminal or immoral behavior that poses a threat to the whole of society. We need to set targets to show how to deal with children both at home and at school and bring the two spheres together, have both maintain regular communication so they can work together to assess their children's behavior and deal with it together. Many behavior problems can be avoided if children are brought up in a healthy, understanding environment.” Salah Al-Zeila'i, a sociologist, says that any form of abuse, whether physical or verbal, turns a school into a place of restrictions forced on pupils by their families. “This can result in them playing truant and engaging in immoral behavior, and leave them vulnerable to drugs, harassment and even rape, and all this affects the whole of society.” “The more we can promote mutual understanding and create a sense of stability in pupils then the more we can break restrictions and open paths up,” Al-Zeila'i says. The most basic of rights Shoura Council member Mohammed Aal Zulfa describes the banning of the use of force in punishing school pupils as “the most basic of rights.” “We need to promote civilized forms of behavior,” Aal Zulfa says, “and this can be done through a variety of means, whether reading to create mental awareness, or school trips to help encourage students to value their education, or learning about other cultures through visits to museums, libraries, cultural centers and theaters. The media also has a role to play in promoting awareness in students, teachers and families of how pupils should be treated.” “We know that teachers can be faced with difficult students, but we must not resort to violence,” Aal Zulfa continues. “We must find other educative ways to encourage them. Violence only breeds more violence.”
